Walter Cannon
American physiologist at Harvard Medical School
American physiologist at Harvard who described the emergency response now called fight or flight, introduced the term homeostasis in 1926, and with Philip Bard gave his name to the Cannon-Bard theory of emotion, an alternative to the James-Lange account.
Why this person matters
Cannon linked emotional arousal to body physiology, arguing that the sympathetic nervous system and adrenaline prepare an animal for emergencies. Homeostasis, the idea of regulated steady states in the body, became a standard concept in physiology. The emotion theory that bears his name was developed with Philip Bard and rests on animal experiments, so it reflects the work of both men.
Main contributions
The emergency response and the sympathoadrenal system
In Bodily Changes in Pain, Hunger, Fear and Rage (1915) he summarised his findings on the body's responses to these states. He argued that the sympathetic nervous system and adrenaline work together to prepare the body for emergencies, a response now often called fight or flight. Researchers today question whether the two act as a single unit.
Homeostasis
In 1926 he coined the term homeostasis for the maintenance of steady states in the body. He built on Claude Bernard's earlier idea of a stable internal environment, and his book The Wisdom of the Body (1932) popularised the concept.
Challenge to the James-Lange theory
In 1927 Cannon listed objections to the view that bodily feedback produces emotion. Cats whose sympathetic nerve connections were cut still showed emotion, the same bodily changes occur in different states, the viscera are fairly insensitive, and visceral changes seem too slow. With Philip Bard he argued that the thalamus organises emotional expression.
Context and limits
Cannon's emotion work relied on cat experiments, including cats with the cerebral cortex removed that showed "sham rage". He defended animal research against anti-vivisectionists, including in a 1911 American Medical Association booklet. Later models, such as the Papez-MacLean limbic circuit and Schachter and Singer's two-factor theory, placed emotion differently. The sources read give no verdict on how much of Cannon-Bard survives, and the idea of a single sympathoadrenal unit is now questioned.
In your introductory course
Motivation and emotion.Students meet the Cannon-Bard theory as the standard alternative to James-Lange in the emotion chapter. Fight or flight and homeostasis also appear in stress and motivation material.
Related course reading: Psychology 2e, section 10.4. This is course context rather than a biographical source.
Years of active work
- 1906
He became chair of the Department of Physiology at Harvard Medical School, succeeding Henry Bowditch.
- 1915
He published Bodily Changes in Pain, Hunger, Fear and Rage.
- 1926
He coined the term homeostasis.
- 1927
He published his critique of the James-Lange theory of emotion; Bard's related paper on rage expression followed in 1928.
- 1932
He published The Wisdom of the Body, which popularised homeostasis.
Sources
- American Journal of Public Health, article on Walter B. Cannon (PubMed Central)Society or association. Text passages inspected.
- Wikipedia, Walter Bradford CannonReference work. Reference article inspected.
- Wikipedia, Cannon-Bard theoryReference work. Reference article inspected.